My Coffee Setup

A part of this blog is dedicated to journaling my coffee experiences, as I try to develop my tastebuds and connect different neurons in my brain with one another.

However, as with every discussion on coffee, the results are always subjective. What I find so amazing about coffee is that so many things come together to create that one cup of goodness that sits on your table, and changing just one variable in the entire chain of events can change how that drink will taste.

Of course, as I write this, my focus will be only limited to the things that are within our active control as a home barista - namely the temperature of the water; brew ratio; grind size; water used; method and duration of extraction (and that's not even the last of it!). I list these variables down briefly just to show really how complex the considerations are when brewing a cup of coffee, and how the things that I do control are but a small part of this giant scope that is, drinking coffee.

Extraction Method

I typically use the Tetsu Kasuya 4:6 brewing method with a few alterations, as somedays I prefer my coffee a little lighter (at an approximately 1:17 ratio). In line with Kasuya-san's brews, I use a medium-to-coarse grind, and I try to complete with a brew time of between 3½ to 4½ minutes. I also reference Apartment Coffee's guide for less strong brews.

Equipment

My opinion about coffee equipment is that while using different equipment will allow you different degrees of flexibility and convenience with brewing, at the end of the day, unless we are absolute professionals competing for the next WBC trophy, the actual key attribute that you need from your equipment in general, is consistency!

With that being said, I surprisingly find that we use quite a number of items just to brew a single coffee cup, so I decided to list them all down just for note:

• Comandante MKIII

• Stagg EKG Electric Kettle

• Hasami Porcelain Dripper

• Acaia Pearl Model S

• Cafec Abaca Filter Paper

Parting Words

I find that many people's journey into the world of coffee often starts out with coffee as a means to an end (staying awake, keeping caffeinated, or even as a leisure drink at cafes), but as time progresses, the act of brewing, enjoying and learning about coffee, becomes an end in itself.